


Husband Hunting

by WildcatPacer



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-19 00:24:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9409142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildcatPacer/pseuds/WildcatPacer
Summary: This is a segment of a larger story on my FanFiction site called Genuine Star-Crossed Lovers. Originally, it is written as a dream sequence, which I have stripped from here. I wanted to explore Katniss as a desirable woman in District 12, with many suitors.





	1. Husband Hunting Part I

**Chapter 23: Husband Hunting Part I**

The snow flurries swirl around me as I head up to the Hob. Underneath my coat, I wear the old blue dress from my mother's Merchant days.

Tonight is the annual New Year's Eve party in the Hob. We Seam folk gather to walk the clock strike midnight and ring in the New Year. It is one of the few moments of happiness we enjoy.

I have never been one for parties, but my mother encouraged me to go out. Well, ordered might be a better word. Even though I'm only sixteen, my mother is forcing me to find a husband and marry. At least who it is will be left to my choice. Arranged marriages are common in District 12. I doubt anyone would want to be a suitor to me, though.

Upon entering the Hob, I spy Gale over at Ripper's bar and take a seat beside him. After small talk and a round or two of shots, we are joined by a ginger-haired fellow.

" **Hello, Katniss,** " he smiles a million-watt grin.

" **Hello, Darius,** " I smile politely at the unusually friendly Peacekeeper.

Upon my salutation, Darius buys me an unsolicited drink and engages me in conversation. The young Peacekeeper is known to be something of a flirt in our town - a trait that resurfaces when he ponders, " **Now what might be a fair trade for a free shot of whiskey?** "

I shake my head with a smile. " **I can't even imagine.** "

" **How about a kiss?** " He leans in close to me and grins. " **Tis the season, after all; I bet there are still sprigs of mistletoe hanging about.** "

I let out a bark of laughter and playfully shove him away. " **No, thanks.** "

" **Why not? I tell you, Katniss, my kisses are the most sought-after in the District!** "

This gets my attention and I smirk. " **Oh yeah? With who?** "

Darius points out women to me. " **Why, the flower seller with the green muffler. Oh, and the milkman's wife! I have plenty of references in these parts.** "

Gale begins to hoot with laughter as he rises and pays for his drink. " **Keep talking, Darius! You'll never get a peck outta her!** " And he heads off to dance with Madge Undersee, the Mayor's daughter.

Darius lays off after a while, and I leave the bar and slip just outside to be by myself. Gazing up into the night sky, I can see the stars twinkling.

 **"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"** Darius has joined me. I simply nod. Just then, I hear the crowd begin to roar the countdown:

 **"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"** There is loud cheering, and soon couples fall into each other's arms and kiss, as is tradition. In one corner, I can see Gale kiss a delighted Madge. It gives me an idea.

 **"Hey, Darius."** He has barely turned to me before I pull his face down to mine and kiss him right on the lips. I feel his tongue graze the bottom of my mouth, seeking entrance, and I grant it, parting my lips for him as I wrap my arms around his neck.

All at once, Darius takes me by my waist and pulls me to him. With his free hand, he heavily pets my butt before gallingly raising my one leg to his waist. I surprise even myself when I do not resist. Next second, the Peacekeeper has hoisted me up into the air. We slam back into the Hob's outside wall, still kissing.

With me satisfactorily propped up, Darius allows his hands to roam. He rolls back the hem of my mother's dress, before pulling down my panties until they are at my ankles. I respond in perfect harmony by ripping at his belt buckle and throwing down his leggings, boxers and all.

 **"Mmmmmmm... Uhhhhhhhhh..."** I let out a muffled moan into Darius's mouth as I feel his penis sheath itself into my vagina. The wall wobbles and shakes right along with our bodies as he frantically fucks me. At last, when I can hold back no longer -

 **"Huhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmm..."** I sigh as my juices explode in an orgasm. Darius and I kiss for a few more minutes before he releases my lips, pulls out of me and sets me back down. He dresses as silently as I do, before leaving the party with a half-hearted wave. No doubt he figures Gale will come looking for me.

My insides and private areas heated, I stand in the cold for a few moments more, pondering what just occurred. I suddenly remember my mother's expectation that I find a worthy suitor and marry.

Touching a hand to the lips Darius was kissing just moments before, I wonder: could I marry Darius? Could I be the wife of a Peacekeeper?


	2. Husband Hunting Part II

**Chapter 24: Husband Hunting Part II**

The bag of game lies heavy on my shoulders as I keep pace with Gale through the woods. We got a good haul today. It should make for a decent trade in the Hob.

We finally emerge from the treeline and approach the fence that marks the official border of District 12. It is supposed to be electrified 24/7, but the power has not run through it in years. Crawling under the barbed wire has been a piece of cake since I was a pre-teen.

I set the bag down to prepare to crawl under the fence now.

 **"I can take over the daily snare run, Gale. Perhaps we'll catch some rabbits. And then -"** I am cut off as Gale suddenly takes my face in his hands and kisses me firmly on the mouth.

I am completely unprepared. You would think that, after listening to Gale and his teachings for so long, I would know everything there was to know about his lips - which I now register taste like sweet oranges. Or how his hands, which can complete even the most complicated of snares, could so easily entrap me, as he winds them about my waist.

 **"Uhhhmmmmmmm..."** I think I make this sort of choked squeak in the back of my throat, but I do not pull away. Curious, I close my eyes and kiss him back. After a long moment, he draws away.

 **"I had to do that. At least once. After Darius."** And then he is gone.

I stay sitting in the meadow for a good while afterwards, pondering over how I feel about Gale's kiss, whether I liked it or resented it. He mentioned Darius kissing me at the New Year's Eve party... did he see what occurred? Is he jealous?

Another thought strikes me: can I imagine myself as the wife of a miner? Gale is already working there part-time, and when he comes of age, he will have to work even deeper underground, as did his father before him. Could I be married to him - my best friend - as he puts himself in danger every day; have his children and raise them as I wait to see if he comes home, having survived the mines for another work shift?

I don't know. I just don't know...


	3. Husband Hunting Part III

**Chapter 25: Husband Hunting Part III**

A few days later, I check the last of the snares before leaving the woods. It is the end of the work week and that means Gale will be free of the mines for a whole Sunday.

I head straight for the mines, knowing quitting time will be occurring in about half an hour. I decide to wait for Gale in his boss's office. When I enter, I see a group of miners causing a commotion in front of the desk. Uh oh. Is there a strike underway? Gale would have told me if there was. But these miners don't look angry. On the contrary, they actually looked scared.

 **"We started to dig at the block, but it grunted! And moved!"** one says.

 **"Rubbish!"** says Thom, the Miner Foreman.

**"It's not rubbish! It's big - and alive! We're not going in there again!"**

Stressed and baffled at what's gotten into his workers, Thom politely throws them all out, citing that he will have a look at whatever mysterious thing is down there in the morning. He turns back to me.

**"Sorry about all that, Katniss. Just some spooked miners, is all. Please, have a seat. Gale should come up in the elevators in about an hour."**

I take a seat, directly across from his desk. I should also mention that Thom is one of Gale's close friends; about his age, in fact. The youngest Miner Foreman in District 12 history.

 **"I'm sorry if I'm keeping you from your work, Thom,"** I apologize.

 **"No, not at all."** And he smiles. **"If I had known you come here regularly to wait for Gale, I would have worked less often from home."**

I blink and analyze what he just said. Is he actually flirting with me? I decide to play along.

**"Would you have, now?"**

**"Yes,"** Thom looks me in the eye with sincerity. **"I buy your squirrels from the Hob. See what you've managed to do for a living. You are one of the most fascinating people in the whole district."**

I feel myself blushing quite furiously, and I want to fan myself. I know this is a strange sensation I am feeling, because this is one of Gale's best friends. I decide that the only way to get rid of this feeling is to be bold.

Deliberatively, I shove aside Thom's work papers from his desk so that they land in a heap on the floor. I then seductively crawl like a cat across his desk; Thom leaning back in his chair in surprise. But this doesn't stop me as I seize him by the neck and pull him up to me for a deep kiss on the mouth.

Thom responds relatively quickly; encouraged, I slip off the table and into Thom's lap, effectively straddling his hips. We start kissing again, Thom now standing from his chair and taking me with him, his hands wandering up underneath my shirt and across my bare back. I fold my arms around his neck, legs around his waist and hold fast.

Thom partially bends me back, partially throws me onto his desk and clambers on top of me. I run my hand down along one of his shoulder blades, kissing him with open mouth and tongue. As he settles himself between my legs, I pull his shirt up over his head; I now clasp at the skin of his bare back as we begin to make love...

* * *

By the time Gale arrives, my spontaneous coupling with Thom is long over and we are dressed. Neither of us speaks a word about what occurred.

Later that night, as I lie in bed, I begin to imagine Thom as a suitor, then a husband. He's not much older than me. And with his status at the mines, he is paid much more highly than all of his subordinates. Enough salary to raise a family on. Could I be the wife of a Miner Foreman?


	4. Husband Hunting Part IV

**Chapter 26: Husband Hunting Part IV**

It is Saturday, so Gale is still working in the mines. To keep myself busy between not having school and waiting till tomorrow to hunt with him, I spend the day picnicking in the Meadow with another male I know.

Matthew Rivers and I never intended to become friends. And everyone knows I am not a 'friends' kind of person in general, as I am very selective over who I let into my life. But with Matthew and I, it just sort of happened. Sitting together at school lunches soon turned into me taking him into the woods and showing him the wonders of nature.

It all trips Matthew's trigger, of course. He is the son of one of District 12's most renowned geologists. He will likely inherit the post from his father one day. But Matthew is more than just a scientific thinker. He is a vicarious reader, and deeply interested in politics.

**"Now the thing about me, is that I want to get into the thick matters of policy. That's why I want to go to school after working in my dad's job after a while. Someday, I'm going to be the Mayor of District 12."**

I laugh. **"Wait till my mother and sister get to know you,"** I tease. **"You three would just sit and philosophize the day away."**

Matthew gets a far-away look in his eyes. **"The winds aloud howl, over the masses, and sing through every shroud. Pale, trembling, tired, the sailors freeze with fears! An instant death, on every wave appears!"**

I giggle. **"Homer's Iliad!"** I only remember the quote because we read that text in school. **"I think it would be wonderful if you were a politician. You're the kind of person of who would not be concerned with who's Merchant and who's Seam."** I feel him staring my way, almost to the point of awkwardness. I laugh and smile. **"You're making fun of me!"**

 **"Nah,"** he chuckles. **"I would never make fun of a wonderful Seam girl like you."**

* * *

After our picnic meal, Matthew manages to catch a live deer. Instead of killing it, however, he attempts learning to ride it. The deer is none too pleased. It bucks and kicks until finally it succeeds in throwing Matthew off, over its head, before indignantly scampering away.

I freeze when I see that Matthew is not rising from where he fell in the meadow grass. Hiking up the hem of my long sundress, I run to him. **"Matthew!"** , my voice filled with concern.

But, when I roll him over, he is laughing his head off, and I realize he has tricked me. I let out an affronted laugh of my own and slap at him. He catches me, and soon, we are rolling down the grassy hill, shrieking with laughter.

Matthew finally stands, and pulls me up with him. We are suddenly very close, and I am still in his embrace.

Matthew smiles down at me, and I nervously give a ghost of smile back. My eyes soften, grow heavy, and I feel my hand tighten its grip on his bicep. Our lips draw closer and closer together, until at last, we kiss tentatively.

The kiss turns very passionate very quickly. Before I know it, we have fallen down into the grass, me on top of him. I feel my sundress nudged off of my body, and moments later, I sense Matthew enter my holiest of places...

* * *

We lie on the picnic blanket, still as naked as babies, after having glorious sex in the Meadow. My head and hand rest on Matthew's chest as I lounge, lost in thought.

 **"What's wrong?"** Matthew asks.

I shake my head. **"Nothing."** But once again, I have had relations with someone who could one day be my husband. I think of Matthew's desired goals. I have no doubt he will be the Mayor of our District one day. But would I be content, living in the Justice Building, being the Mayor's wife? Going to Capitol functions and entertaining Capitolites out of necessity? It does not seem like my cup of tea, at least the last part doesn't. But I am so fond of Matthew... I go to sleep unresolved.


	5. Husband Hunting Part V

**Chapter 27: Husband Hunting Part V**

I stare in astonishment at the boy who has just saved me from selling myself to Cray. We stand in the shadows of the bakery, our arms unintentionally around each other. The boy, Peeta Mellark, has just filled the pockets of my mother's blue Merchant dress with rolls and other small baked goods.

I gaze into Peeta's clear blue eyes. **"Why are you doing this?"**

Peeta stares hard at me, and then announces, **"Because I love you."**

I regard him in utter astonishment - astonishment which then hardens into brave resolve. He loves me, does he? Then he would do well to show me.

With that, I brazenly seize Peeta's groin in my rough palm and fiercely press my lips to his in a kiss. My eyes flutter shut as I silently thank him for saving my life, and I put as much of that thanks as I can into the kiss.

Peeta responds immediately, slamming me against the opposite wall of the alley. I breathe heavily, moan, as his hands touch my panties, as they slip into my vagina and caress the nub that lies there. I feel a heat I have never felt before rise within me - a heat that I have heretofore never experienced.

And with it, I realize: this is the man whom I want to be married to. This is the man who I want to be my husband. Peeta Mellark.

 **"Mmmmmm... Mmmmmmmmmm..."** I roll my hips frantically into his hand, desiring more, more, more...


	6. Out of the Dream

**Chapter 30: Help Me Get One More**

Night falls before Peeta can get out to me, the last Star Squad member still trapped. As the mist clears the next morning, I awaken from my hiding place to hear the Peacekeepers beginning to advance through their own booby traps to destroy us. If they find me and kill me, the rebellion will be dealt a significant blow.

I jump when I suddenly feel a presence next to me. It's Peeta, who puts a finger to his lips.

"Grab onto me!" he orders.

"Why?" I blink. "What are doing?"

"It's called saving your life, sweetheart! Come on, I'm gonna carry you! It's not like you can walk."

Oh, right. I had almost completely forgotten that a Peacekeeper bullet hit me in the leg yesterday. I listen for the sounds of the white-plated enemy guards coming closer. We are out of options, and almost out of time.

"Let's do it!" I growl. Peeta scoops me up, bridal-style. I soften in his embrace. How much I have missed him holding me like this! The last time he carried me like this was across the threshold of Haymitch's house, after our wedding.

Peeta takes off at a sprint. The Peacekeepers spot him almost immediately and begin shooting. My husband runs in a zig-zag pattern to avoid the shots. He is almost to the office building where the rest of our squad awaits. I am beginning to wonder if he has some kind of protective forcefield around him when -

"GAHHHH!" Peeta seizes up as a bullet finally finds a mark - in his real leg. If it had hit his artificial leg, the bullet would have just bounced right off.

Peeta falls right through the ground. He falls through an open manhole, in fact, taking me with him. We plunge about twenty feet before landing in ankle-deep sewage with a grand SPLASH!

With both of us now wounded, it takes each of us supporting the other to move out of the open sunlight from above and deeper into the sewers. We discover a dry patch of cement shaded by an overhang, and pause there to rest. It kind of reminds me of our little cave in the first arena.

For the first time, my husband and I get a really good look at each other. We just went through hell and back once again - and survived. All at once, we burst out laughing, and move in towards each other.

We are stopped by our space-suit like armor. The stuff is bulky and keeps us from having close physical contact, so we desperately fight against it until our lips finally meet and we kiss for all that we're worth.

"Mmmmmmm... Ahhhhhhh... Uhhhhhhh..." I moan happily as Peeta ravages my lips with his own. No rational thought guides us. We simply tear at each other's armor, stripping ourselves of it until there is nothing but our civilian clothes underneath.

Our relations become more tender. Peeta slowly unzips the little black dress that I wear and I step out of it, advancing towards him. All the while, I unbutton his shirt and cast it aside to reveal his bare chest. Now naked, and despite still being wounded, we fall back onto the cement. Man on top of woman, we have sex for the first time since before the Quell.

* * *

We fall asleep for a short time after making love. When we awaken, I remove the bullets from both my leg and Peeta's, then use the medical kit in my discarded armor to dress our wounds. That done, we lie back together and just talk. Talk more than we have never been able to do in the longest time.

"I'm sorry I thought you were a mutt. I knew something about the memories the Capitol gave me were off. Trouble was, for a while I could not tell what was real and what was made up," Peeta confesses.

I raise my head off his chest to look at him. "Then you should ask, Peeta. I'm your wife."

He smiles, and tenderly plays with my hair. "I know. And I will never doubt your love for me again. The arena didn't change that, and neither will this war."

That reminds me. I blush furiously as I get out, "I... I think your refusal to carry a weapon - and then saving all of us without one was _very_ brave. In fact... I've always thought you were braver and kinder and more different than any man I have ever met." I shyly meet his eyes and say with conviction. "I fell in love with you because you weren't like anyone else."

Peeta takes my hands in his. "I want to show them they don't own me, Katniss. None of them - not the Capitol, not District 13. The only person who owns anything of me is you."

My eyes fill with tears at his words, and I kiss him tenderly. As I snuggle back against him and reflect on what he has said to me, I realize he's right - I _do_ own something of him.

This realization gives me the courage to say something I've wanted to say for so long:

"Peeta... we have a daughter."


End file.
